Umbrellas were out in force at Guangzhou Railway Station during fierce storms in southern China's Guangdong Province last January. But elsewhere it was heavy snow that kept passengers waiting as freak blizzards paralyzed central regions of the country.

The severe weather claimed at least 60 lives and left some 5.8 million train travelers stranded nationwide, as rail, air, and road transportation was brought to a virtual standstill during the Spring Festival, China's busiest holiday period.

A combination of cold air sweeping in from Mongolia and unusually high ocean temperatures in the China Sea may explain why the storms were so intense this winter, according to the U.S. National Climatic Data Center.

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